It's the downest of down years lol. We've been saying it's a down year in the big ten for 4-5 years now. The conference gets worse and worse as a whole every year. I think that stops next year tho.

A conference is really only as good as their worst team. Indiana and Minnesotta made some strides this year but illinois is in the cellar now. It's not surprising tho , what did Beckman exspect the response to be from his team when his first actions as a head coach where to send his coaching staff to Happy Valley and try to replace most of his roster. Coach up what you got.....

I'd say a conference is only as good as its best team or two. During their title stretch, the SEC hasn't had bottom dwelling teams that would do anything more than duke out a pillow fight with comparable teams from the Big Ten or Pac XII, and even the mid-level teams aren't that much better than their Big Ten counterparts; it's the top few teams like Alabama this season, Alabama/LSU last season, Auburn before that, ect. that have been making the Big Ten look bad.

Getting Minnesota and IU to seven or eight wins annually won't do much for the perception of the Big Ten. Getting Michigan, OSU, and Nebraska to 12, 13, or 14 wins definitely will.

remember 6 wins is not the requirement now, to fill out all the bowl games they might take some teams with losing records. There simply are too many bowls to fill and not enough teams with winning records.

Yeah, it will be at least 6, maybe 7 if Indiana or Iowa can do something big. But this will all turn around next year when OSU is eligible and PSU wins less (thus not blowing it for other Big Ten squads). I bet we're back to 8 or 9 next year.

I would love to see Sparty lose to NW and have to beat Minny for the privilege of going to Ford Field. Then again, NW is another team that sees Michigan as a "rivalry game," and might expend so much energy against the Wolverines this weekend, win or lose, that they don't have a good game left for Sparty the following week.

It's strange enough when you see it laid out like this that, right now, there are only 4 Big Ten teams that are outright bowl eligible. Interesting year indeed, especially with two teams under sanctions in the conference.

That being said, I would take the over. I could see MSU winning out and going 7-5, although they might not be huge favorites in their game against Northwestern (using the Sagarin numbers, likely only a point or two). Minnesota stands a shot at going 1-2 in their remaining games and going to a bowl as well.

I would like nothing more than to get matched up with teams the B1G can beat for once. We usually get paired up with teams that are vastly better and assigned with the task of beating them in their own state. Maybe we have less teams in this year, but a winning record in bowls. I would take that all day and twice on tuesday.

Games they can win...so games against Sun Belt or CUSA teams? Sorry...couldn't resist. Given the extremely down year for the conference, there's going to be a lot of unfavorable matchups in the bowls for the Big Ten this year. I doubt they are favored in any.

I think Sparty makes it easily. They've got 1.5 wins left on their schedule... I can easily see them finishing up 7-5; which is still brutal with how many close games they've lost this year.

Minnesota beats Illinios without a problem and will also make it. They probably lose their other two games hard though.

The interesting question becomes the Indiana / Purdue / Iowa mess... Of them Purdue has the best shot of winning at least 2 games, but they need 3. IU has very little chance of beating Wisconsin or PSU, but I would pick them over Purdue at this point (LOL! BIG TENNNNNN). Iowa... might beat Purdue? I think Michigan finally gets past them. I wouldn't be surpirsed if we fashion an ugly 9-3 victory or something, but I just can't see their offense being the slightest bit functional in the Big House. And Nebraska should be able to pin 30+ points on them... Iowa's offense can't match that total if they were playing against wet paper.

Honestly I see 6 teams making it pretty much "for sure". A 7th would require one of those obnoxious 'miracle upset' wins or Purdue to go perfect against their roommates in the Big 10 basement. Neither seems particularly likely, or unlikely. 0_o